She was a witch but I am death
by Binky1987
Summary: Magical AU. He was hired to bring her back but first, he had to gain her trust. Things rarely work out the way you plan. He could never love but she was a deity. He told his employer there was no chance of him falling under her whiles but now...maybe there was a slight problem because he probably won't let her go. And the kid was really getting to him.


**She was a witch but I am death**

 **Part I**

 _ **A/N:** Another one, I know...let me know what you guys think!_

* * *

Few called her a Deity, others a miracle healer but mostly, people called her an abomination...a demon...a _witch_.

She believed herself to be the only of her kind and she didn't stick around in any place long enough to find out.

The name that was given to her at birth was Shirayuki with no last name but as she grew and became a woman, people often referred to her as the Red Witch (never by name).

For her hair was as red as an apple and the man who kept her had said that deities like her with special abilities have been found easily throughout history because they always had something that made them stand out physically. Sometimes it was their hair or a birth mark or sometimes, it was their eyes.

He had told her that she was extra special and she wondered if it was because she had red hair and eyes as green as a forest (abnormally so, she had always thought). So he had paraded her around, saying that because she was at his side, they would always remember him in history as the man who conquered the world with his Red Witch protecting him.

Shirayuki clenched her eyes shut in anger just _thinking_ of that man.

The place she was currently in was Tanbarun and although she was only passing through, she did what she could to heal those in need as she went. That had always been her goal once she was free.

The woods were her home for the moment until she felt it was time to move on and it was here that she thought of what lead her to this very moment.

Alone, inexperienced, vulnerable - these were the words that encompassed her life. After all, these past months were the only experiences she'd had outside the mansion she had lived in her entire life where she was never allowed to venture outside.

When she walked the streets of where ever her travels lead her, she would see other girls her age, laughing, chatting happily, walking hand in hand with a man, kissing...

Shirayuki's cheeks heated up as she thought of all the things she'd never experienced, with only books giving her enlightenment on what life outside the city walls was like and by the Gods did she _want_ to experience them! Even just once. But how could she when she had to keep moving every few days?

She wanted to know what it was like to find love, to have friends, to just _be_ without fear of her past catching up to her. She wanted to eat a doughnut, she wanted to go fishing, she wanted to lay in the grass with friends, just chatting and laughing...she wanted to be loved and to kiss a man for the first time. To...make love to the man she loved.

But these were all things she could never have, especially the last one. The man that had her in his grasp since birth had told her that if she did that, she would lose her abilities.

She wondered if it were true. It probably was but he used to say a lot of things to try and make her stay put, without question.

The fire crackled in front of her, the light of the flames dancing in her eyes.

One day. One day she would be truly free.

* * *

"He'll see you now."

The tall, oak, gold encrusted doors opened to reveal a large office. It was filled with artifacts, collectable items and a small library to the right. The room was as big as a foyer and his golden, cat-like orbs looked around, suspiciously.

He always had his eyes open, ready, just in case. He never trusted people, even though he relied on them to earn a livelihood. His hand rested on a dagger which rested in a sheath by his side but walked forward cautiously to the large mahogany desk that sat at the back of the room, in front of a large window.

"Ah, you made it...Nanaki is it?" spoke a voice and then his golden orbs found the man sitting behind the desk.

"Its one of my names, yes," he said stiffly.

The man in front of him _definitely_ couldn't be trusted. His guards stood at the exit he noticed so if he had to make an exit he would have no choice but to kill them, of course.

The man in front of him had short, wavy blonde hair and cool blue eyes that seemed to be looking at him calculatingly. His outfit was of the best quality of fabrics and he assumed also of the latest fashion too and he was neatly kept - clean shaven, not a hair out of place, even his nails were neatly trimmed.

He _knew_ this type of man and although his instincts told him to forget about this job, the money was just too good to resist.

"I heard you worked for the Wistalia's," commented the man, leaning forward and resting his cheek in one hand, his elbow holding his head up.

He had a curious glint in his eye.

Obi shrugged. "Yeah, free lance really. So, you had a job up for grabs, Mister?"

The man smirked, looking Obi up and down with his judging eyes.

Yeah so he wasn't well kept like this rich man was. He lived day to day and didn't stay long in one place. He didn't own a home and nor could he afford it, but, this was his life. He wore black trousers and boots, a long sleeve black cotton shirt and a hat that covered his ears but wasn't really a fashion statement but more a necessity for the cold. _His_ clothes were practical, easy to take off and on in a hurry and helped him blend in when needed (in the dark). And although he seemed to look rough, he made sure to wash his clothes and bathe when he could.

One day he would find his reason. You know, the thing that kept people going - the one thing in their life they cared about more than anything in the world.

Yeah, one day but until then, his only love in his life was money. And so he would keep looking scruffy and unkempt because that was how society worked, he supposed.

The rich ruled over the poor and the poor worked for the rich. End of story.

"Yes. My name is Touka Bergatt. Some property of mine has...eluded me. I need it back, immediately. And here is what you're going to do."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Obi left the mansion and was still confused by his instructions. Usually he would have just declined but the money...with so many zeroes in the amount, he would probably kill his own father if it meant that money would be in his hand.

No pain, no gain as they say.

He wondered if he had time to visit the bar first and maybe the red light district.

 _Focus_ , he thought. _The money, think of the money._

But as he headed to the stables to get a horse, he kept thinking over Touka's last warning to him.

 _"Don't be fooled. My missing property has a way of creeping into your heart."_

Obi shook his head as he paid a man for the horse - as if anyone or _anything_ could affect him like that. He'd never had attachments and he'd had many a lover over the years and none of them came close to breaking down his walls. Not one.

He supposed most men could easily fall in love and women had the knack to let them, but never him. He'd not once thought of staying with any of the women he'd laid with, even if it wasn't the first time. The only reason he had to be with them to begin with was because he had needs - everyone did.

So no, there wouldn't be a problem with his task, but, he needed to get to Tanbarun fast.

* * *

A high pitch scream erupted into the night, awaking Shirayuki from her light slumber and she sat up quickly in shock.

Wailing was heard and she realised it was coming from nearby.

She got herself to her feet, patting down her light blue peplos dress that flowed down around her boots (the dress had been her only piece of clothing afforded to her when she lived with _him_ and he'd said she could only ever wear a dress that reflected who she was - that of a deity).

She turned to see her red velvet cloak sitting on the log next to her and grabbed it, shoving it on quickly before heading into the woods in the direction of the scream she had heard.

Shirayuki pulled up her skirts and ran through the forest. She used her energy to coax out fireflies to light her path so that she wouldn't trip on something she couldn't see.

The sound of a babbling brook could be heard the further she ran and so she knew she'd reached the river which meant she was near the bottom of the mountains.

A voice could be heard and then another wail which Shirayuki knew was the sound of a middle aged woman, crying a curse into the night. She knew that sound all too well and as she continued running, she thought that it was much too often that she'd heard those sounds.

Life was cruel like that.

"No...no! This can't be happening!"

Shirayuki came upon the scene. A woman kneeling beside a boy, clutching at him for dear life. She didn't know what they were doing here at this time of night but she didn't much care because she had work to do.

Suddenly the woman gasped at her presence knowing that she probably seemed quite scary and ominous, arriving hooded and in the darkness.

Shirayuki's eyes looked at the boy as she knelt down beside him. The woman seemed to clutch at the boy, trying to get him away from her as best she could but then she pulled off her hood.

The moonlight shone down above them and the woman could clearly see her apple red long tresses, half held up into a silver and ruby clip and her forest green orbs focused on the boy's condition.

"You...you're the Red Witch..." the woman gasped in surprise, the grip on the boy loosening a little.

Shirayuki shuddered a little at the name but nodded all the same. "He's dying-"

"Please, witch, please help him. He'd been too long out...usually off collecting herbs but by the time I got to him, he had been underwater for too long."

The younger woman sighed, not really believing that's what had happened because if that were true, this boy would be long since dead. Perhaps she'd misread the scene because she had thought that it was of a woman who was losing her child.

Shirayuki didn't look at the woman in the eyes but nodded and then reached for the boy. She unbuttoned his shirt and placed her hand directly onto his skin, near the heart.

A pure white light emerged from her hand and the boy's skin began to gain color again; his lips returning to a normal pink color, rather than blue. All blemishes the boy had on his skin disappeared (Shirayuki suspected that he'd received those previously...and not from falling into the river) and then his eyes opened, slowly.

The first thing she saw was violet orbs staring at her in surprise and then looked to where her hand lifted; the white glow disappearing. When he looked to his side, he saw the middle aged woman looking at him and then an expression Shirayuki knew too well graced his features.

 _Fear_. And that was something a boy his age shouldn't feel.

She turned to the woman with a glare.

"How did this happen?" snapped Shirayuki with an accusing tone.

The woman bristled. "I told you-"

"No. You lied to me. If that were true, the boy would be dead. You're not his mother, are you?"

The woman's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No, I'm not. This boy...this boy is special and I have been tasked to deliver him, unharmed, to my employers."

Shirayuki narrowed her eyes at the woman and got to her feet. The boy next to her sat up, amazed both at Shirayuki's abilities and how she had known that the woman had captured him.

"Although, I was thinking that I could keep him for myself."

Shirayuki looked down at the boy with a softer expression. "What's your name?"

The boy didn't answer at first and got to his feet, finding his legs slowly with Shirayuki grasping his shoulders to steady him.

"Ryuu."

The woman went to grab him but Shirayuki pulled him behind her suddenly, before the woman could grab his arm.

"You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you, Witch," snarled the woman as she pulled out a dagger from behind her cloak and pointed it at her menacingly.

It must have been sitting across her back this whole time.

Shirayuki studied the woman, noticing the feral, wild look in her eye, but she could only pity her. She probably had to do this job to survive and maybe doing awful things had twisted her into such a state where she didn't even have morals or a conscience anymore.

"People are not objects and nor should be treated as such. Ryuu is alive and you can tell your employer that."

The woman's eyes narrowed. "I'll just take him back!"

The woman lunged for Shirayuki and as the dagger was about to plunge into her chest, Ryuu stepped out from behind Shirayuki and the dagger flew out of the woman's hands.

Shirayuki's eyes widened and she looked down at Ryuu who had his hand held out in front of him with his palm opened.

"Ryuu!" she exclaimed in surprise.

The woman was amazed too but used the opportunity to lurch forward. She wanted this prize for herself and so she lunged forward but didn't reach them.

Her body fell to the ground with the dagger stuck into her back and blood surrounded her, pouring out, along with her life. Shirayuki watched as the woman's eyes became lifeless and then her breathing stopped.

Shirayuki was in shock. This boy had done that?

Ryuu started to breath heavily and fell to his knees.

"Ryuu..." began Shirayuki as she knelt beside him, her hands grabbing his shoulders.

"I-I'm too young...I've never...d-done that before," he gasped, the energy seemingly being ripped from his body.

She looked concerned and touched his cheek, trying to give him some of her energy.

When her hands began to light up, his breath seemed to regulate and he grasped her arm, steadying himself.

His eyes looked up at her. "Thank you."

* * *

He spotted a woman with a red velvet cloak, clutching the hand of a boy as they both walked up a ramp onto a boat. He noticed a piece of hair that had come loose from underneath her hood and he knew for certain then that she was the Red Witch.

He paid the man by the ramp to enter the boat and within the hour, they had set sail to Lyrias.

He watched her intently as he moved about the ship as if he were just another person, wanting to get from A to B. She and the boy she was with, chatted in quiet tones but were always together.

He watched as she pointed a slender hand out at the sunset in the horizon and the boy looked at it in wonder. Then as she turned, her eyes locked with his and then she looked down at her companion and whispered something in his ear, placing a hand on his shoulder as she walked in his direction.

He liked to say he wasn't affected by her beauty but he would be lying. It was different than from when he was watching her from afar but now she was closer, he noticed how smooth her skin was, how her long red locks of silky hair flowed in waves underneath her cloak and her eyes were as green as the forest.

But, she was just a woman and he could handle a woman. Even though she was the Red Witch.

"You have been watching us for quite some time, Sir," she spoke softly but her eyes were guarded.

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at him with suspicion.

"Well, hello Miss," he said, putting on one of his fake smiles that he always used to charm women. "I think you're mistaken-"

"Don't try and deny it. What is it you want?" she asked, sharply as she regarded the man before her.

He'd added a Clarine's soldier's shirt to his outfit - all to play into the role he was going to be persuading her of.

"You've got me, Miss. But it was merely because I like to admire beauty when I see it, is all," he said, holding up his hands in surrender.

Shirayuki's cheeks started to go pink and her eyes widened a little in surprise. "Oh," she got out, flustered at the concept of someone admiring her. "W-well, please refrain. Thank you and good day."

He watched her leave with a little confusion. Didn't women love it when men complimented them like that? And why is it when he looked at her and how guarded she was, did it remind him of himself?

Well, that plan didn't work so he would have to go with his employer's plan.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Obi blocked a punch easily and then the man grabbed out a knife. He had imagined how he was going to do this but now that he was here putting his plan into fruition, he really felt like this was a _very_ bad idea.

A crowd surrounded them, egging them on to fight and then when he noticed red out of the corner of his eye, he knew that he would have to do it now.

He'd been blocking punches and kicks so easily up until this point so it was going to be hard to make it look like he made a mistake.

But he was good at acting.

The man lunged and he pretended to miss-judge where the knife was going to go and then it was plunged into his side, right between the ribs.

Shit. He'd miss-judged the fake miss-judge! He'd aimed to have the man slice his side but not...this.

The man pulled out the knife with his eyes wide in shock at what he'd done. It had been a duel, fair and square, but he hadn't meant for things to turn out like this.

"Out of the way! Disperse immediately!" exclaimed a woman's commanding voice.

Obi was on the ground now with blood pooling through his fingers, staining the soldier shirt he'd acquired earlier and he wondered, had this job meant _that_ much to him that he'd risk his life like this?

It was one thing to be in danger on a daily basis with his profession but to actually go out of his way to get hurt?

The pain in his side was subsiding and he wondered, was it because he was actually dying?

After all his hardships and his all around shitty life where he'd fought and ran for his life and killed all for the sake of living, and this is how it ended? And where did his money get him after all that?

No one flashed into his mind in his last moments...no one he cared about, except for himself.

But then he felt her hands on him and he looked up into those forest green orbs with confusion and then looked down to his torso where she had ripped open both his shirts and a brilliant white light was coursing out of her hands and into him.

He stared at her and then at his wound in disbelief. He couldn't see the wound itself since it was on the side of his chest but he could _feel_ it mending itself from the inside out.

The crowd that had surrounded the fight earlier had dissipated, due to her commands and she looked around her to see that no one seemed to have noticed what she had done.

Shirayuki put a palm to the top of Obi's forehead and leaned down toward him, removing her hands from his chest. He wasn't quite healed and he could feel the tenderness of the wound still but the blood had stopped flowing out of the wound.

"I want to see if this works," she whispered and then her face came closer toward him.

Her lips touched his and his eyes widened in shock.

White light emerged from her skin touching his and then he felt his wound completely heal and close up. When she pulled away, her eyes were still closed but her hand was touching her lips.

"Ah, so that's what _that_ feels like," she whispered to herself and then her eyes were open and she looked down at him curiously.

Obi was sitting up now, his hands on the ground holding him in a sitting position but his eyes were on hers.

She knew he would yell at her, tell her she was an abomination and that she had tainted him with her disgusting demon powers. She was used to it.

So she got up wordlessly and walked away toward where Ryuu had been staring at the scene from the stern of the ship. He had made sure to get the crowd out of the way and so their prying eyes wouldn't see the miracle that was Shirayuki.

Not that people actually thought that way, no, to them she was the devil witch.

She walked across the stern to where Ryuu was when the boat rocked, the wind blew and then her hood came down, revealing her brilliant red hair.

The torches that lit the area so that guests on the ship could roam the deck as they pleased would give enough light for anyone to see her oddly colored hair and so her eyes widened in a panic, pulling the hood back over her head quickly.

"The Red Witch!" he exclaimed a voice from the side of the ship and she gazed over at him in shock.

Ryuu was suddenly by her side and grabbed her hand to drag her away and she let him.

They ran up the other side to see a small crowd of people up ahead, causing them to stop. When they turned, Shirayuki had expected the person to scream out at them, but they were met with them lying on the ground unconscious.

And Obi stood above them, the hilt of a kunai knife in his hand.

"You saved my life, Miss, I owe you this much."

Shirayuki stared at him in utter shock and then looked down at Ryuu whose own expression was that of confusion. He was studying Obi, deciding if he was a threat or not.

"D-did you-"

"Nar, I didn't kill him. Knocked him out. He'll be right by tomorrow, Miss," explained Obi, putting away the kunai knife into a pouch that sat on his belt at the back.

She noticed his shirt hung in shreds and now that she looked at him properly, his chest was very broad and by god, he was quite tall too. He had an attractive face but it was his eyes that intrigued her. They were amber in color and looked almost cat-like and if she had to put a word to them, she would have to say they were...beautiful.

No wonder she lost herself before for a moment and kissed him but she had wanted to know what it was like. And yes, it was what she had hoped for.

Warm, soft and made her tingle with excitement. She also learned that it wasn't just her hands that triggered her healing because when she'd kissed him her powers manifested through their physical connection.

Well, at least that was one thing ticked off her list of things she wanted to experience.

"Say Miss...why did you kiss me?" he asked suddenly, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Her cheeks flushed and Ryuu looked at her sternly with disappointment.

"Uh...well...it makes my powers work faster," she lied, although, there might be some foundation in her words.

The wound _had_ healed much faster but that could of been because she had already done most of the work with her hands.

His eyebrow raised skeptically. "Ookay then."

"Thank you Sir, for _that_ ," Shirayuki said, finding composure once more and nodded to the man lying on the floor in forced slumber. "But please...just forget about what happened and that is all I ask as payment for me saving your life."

Although, it was payment enough that he wasn't calling her names, accusing her of being the Red Witch of hell or something. That in itself made him intriguing to her.

She turned to walk away, Ryuu following her lead but then a hand found her arm and she turned to face him. Ryuu was on high alert and stood between him and Shirayuki.

Ryuu stared up at Obi, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't _touch_ her, please."

Obi looked down at the young boy with an amused glint in his eye and his lips were upturned slightly.

"Its okay, Ryuu. Did you want something Sir?" she asked formally, placing her hands on Ryuu's shoulders.

His gaze went from Ryuu and then to Shirayuki.

"Obi," he said suddenly.

She frowned in confusion and Ryuu raised an eyebrow. "Heart," she said softly.

Obi mirrored her own expression because no one knew that's what his name meant. He'd made that one up one day when he realised he didn't have one...a heart that is.

"That's what it means."

"Yeah well, that's my name. Miss, I'm a soldier from Clarines-"

Shirayuki bristled and glared at him with fire in her eyes. "Please do me the courtesy of _not_ lying to my face. This is the second time you've done that."

Now he was getting annoyed, how did she even know that?

"How do you know I'm not?" he countered, calling her bluff as he folded his arms over his broad, muscled half bare chest.

He noticed Ryuu eying him with suspicion and how protective he was of her. Maybe he was her brother, although, they didn't have the same color hair or any discernibly similar features.

"Well, a soldier wouldn't knock out a random citizen and...they would _know_ who...what I am."

Obi stared at her. Oh, he knew who she was _and_ what she was. He knew first hand, now.

"Say it, I know you want to-"

"Lets go," urged Ryuu, noticing her starting to become angry and would probably say something she would regret.

He didn't know Shirayuki that well but he _did_ know that she was like him. They'd been shunned, bullied, beaten and chained up for their entire lives and it affected them.

But now was not the time to become unhinged because Ryuu wasn't completely sure this Obi man _wasn't_ a soldier.

"What do you want me to say, Miss?" asked Obi, actually stupefied by her words. What did she want him to say exactly?

He knew people called her the Red Witch and other more crude, awful things. In fact, Touka Bergatt had had said to bring his 'Red Witch' back. But he didn't see a demon or witch or what ever else people called her.

When the light had surrounded her after she had her lips on his, all he saw was a goddess. She was insanely beautiful and how could anyone call her a demon when the light she emitted was nothing short of heavenly?

"That I'm an abomination...a witch...a disgusting demon, I know you want to," she said quietly with tears in her eyes. "Go on, say it!"

Obi always thought he'd had a wretched life...a disgusting human being who killed for money...did just about anything to get paid, using his profession, but it seemed this girl had also had just as much of a shitty life as him.

"Why did you heal me?"

His words caused her anger to leave her as quickly as it had begun.

"You were dying-"

"Everyone else left me to die so why did you help me?"

She was stunned by his question but she knew why. It was the _only_ reason she'd been put on this planet and that was all.

"Because I couldn't let you die. Its my purpose to heal people and you're too young to die, Obi."

And then pursed his lips, trying to hold it his laughter. Jeez, he hadn't laughed in years and then this deity just...

"Its not funny!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"Miss, I think you would be younger than me-"

"Yes but I will die before you! Normal people are meant to live until they're old and wrinkled, not bleed out on a boat because they lost a silly duel!" her nostrils were flared in anger.

"Why would you think you'll die before me?" he asked, puzzled by her words as if she truly believed them.

Did she not understand how the world worked?

"Do you live under a rock, Miss? People die when they die. Maybe they _should_ die when they're old but life rarely works like that," he said with a sigh, looking down at her in a condescending way.

A way which Ryuu was getting annoyed about. He needed to get Shirayuki away from this man, just what was his problem?

Shirayuki was taken aback, huffed and then turned away, placing her arms on the railing, watching the waves go underneath the boat. It was dark but the moon provided enough light for her to see the white caps.

Ryuu followed suit except he wasn't tall enough yet to lean his arms on the railing and so leaned his back against the wall, his arms folded over his chest and decided to glare up at Obi.

"I can teach you," said the taller man, leaning an elbow on the railing beside her.

He didn't look at the ocean though, his eyes were on her. _This_ was how he got her to trust him.

"I can teach you _and_ I could protect you. I am a soldier but I guess you could say I'm more free lance than enlisted. I go on jobs sometimes so I could teach you-"

"Why would you even do that?" she asked, her head snapping toward him skeptically. "You know what I am-"

"Yeah well of course its not for free."

Shirayuki groaned. "Look Obi. You seem nice...kinder than most people but I think you can see that I try and stick to the shadows where people can't see me. Although, I do have certain things I want to experience-"

"Name one," he interjected, curiously.

"W-well, I already achieved one of them tonight," she said sheepishly with a small smile.

His eyes widened in surprise and then he noticed the way her lips pursed and he smiled knowingly. "Oh. I see."

"It was nice to meet you, Obi, and I'm glad you're okay now. But after tomorrow, we will be in Lyrias and that's where our paths will diverge...never to meet again," explained Shirayuki, pushing off from the railing and as she walked off, his voice held her steadfast.

"I need a healer. I go on jobs all the time. They're dangerous and it wouldn't hurt for you to tag along. In return, I'll help you do what ever it is you want to do. As for sticking to the shadows, well, you could say that's a specialty of mine."

Shirayuki stopped and turned her head to look back at him. He seemed genuine and the offer _did_ sound tempting.

"So you want me to be your personal healer?"

Well, when she put it like that, it did sound a little underhanded.

"Yeah? But then I would be your personal body guard."

She pursed her lips in thought. Well she _did_ want to experience things and go to different places without having to worry about her's and now Ryuu's safety.

Ryuu pulled on her sleeve and shook his head warning her not to trust him, but she ignored it.

"Fine. You have a deal, Obi," she said with a smile.

He grinned back at her.


End file.
